托福口语 Task 4

Today, we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in animal behavior called 'behavioral thermoregulation.' This is when animals actively adjust their behavior to control their body temperature, rather than relying solely on physiological mechanisms like sweating or shivering. The main point is that animals use their environment in clever ways to stay within a comfortable temperature range. Let me give you two examples. First, consider the desert iguana. When the sun gets too intense, the ground becomes scorching hot. To avoid overheating, the iguana climbs onto rocks or bushes, which are cooler because they're elevated above the hot sand. It also positions its body to minimize direct sun exposure, sometimes facing the sun directly to reduce the surface area hit by sunlight. Second, think about honeybees. In a beehive, workers regulate temperature by fanning their wings at the entrance to bring in cooler air when it's too hot, and clustering together tightly when it's cold to conserve heat. These behaviors help the colony survive in varying climates.